The Leader has been named the best large weekly newspaper in Arkansas. It has offices in Jacksonville and Cabot and covers north Pulaski County, Lonoke County and White County. The Leader is a family owned and operated newspaper that was founded in 1987.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

TOP STORY >> Company sets its sights on Walmart

By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer

Three Lonoke County residents have their sights set on the big leagues of the business world and hope the public will help them hit their target.

Kristy Underwood, Todd Underwood and their longtime friend, Curtis O’Hare, have entered Toxic Mallard Apparel, a casual clothing line for hunters, into Walmart’s national Get on the Shelf contest.

Visitors to www.getontheshelf.com can vote, through Facebook or a text message, on what product they want to see at the largest retail store in the world.

The Toxic Mallard Apparel line offers T-shirts, hoodies, beanies, hats, bracelets and necklaces, but Todd Underwood said it could expand to include polo and button-up shirts if the product wins the contest.

The logo that identifies the line is an altered biohazard symbol with ducks and dear heads.

Anyone with something to sell could have entered a product into the contest, which started yesterday, by submitting a video about the item. The video about Toxic Mallard Apparel is available at www.getontheshelf.com/product/3269.

Text 2369 to 383838 to vote for Toxic Mallard Apparel or click the button on that page that says, “Vote using Facebook.”

The first round of voting ends on April 3. The Top 10 will be chosen and two more weeks of voting will narrow those contestants to three finalists.

More voting commences. The items with the most votes will be sold on Walmart.com and in all of the company’s stores unless the seller doesn’t agree with Walmart’s terms and conditions.

In that case, the seller would get $13,000 and walk away, Todd Underwood said. The second and third place products will be sold on Walmart.com.

Kristy Underwood owns a print shop, which she operates out of her home at 317 Underwood Lane in Lonoke.

Her husband and O’Hare are hunters. Todd Underwood said, “It was one of those ideas that came out of staring at the ceiling and playing around with ideas.”

His wife said, “It would be huge to see something we personally came up with and designed there (at Walmart). We have bright colors. A lot of the colors (available in hunting apparel) are dull. It’s something you can wear out to let people know you’re a hunter.”

Todd Underwood said, “It’s a little more fun and relaxed. You don’t have to wear camouflage all the time.”

O’Hare said, “Everything else went wild and crazy but it hadn’t come to this yet.”

Toxic Mallard Apparel is sold at found at Fort Thompson Sporting Goods in Sherwood, Hays Western Wear in Judsonia, Hunter’s Refuge in White Hall, Simmons’ Sporting Goods in Louisiana, Cabot Gun and Ammo, Camouflage Shop in Louisiana, McSwain Sports Center in North Little Rock and Southern Outfitters in Sheridan.